West Ham vs Liverpool Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

It has largely been a disastrous campaign for West Ham. Although they may have harboured ambitions to break into the top-half of the table before the start of it, it has been a season of torment.

However, recently there have been green shoots of recovery. Back-to-back wins over Newcastle and Burnley offered some respite to the boss Nuno Santo. There is still plenty of work to be done, and as the old saying goes, ‘You’re never too good to go down’. There was a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last weekend, but they dropped two points after going 2-0 up.

The visit of Liverpool may not dispel the gloomy atmosphere, given they were thrashed 5-0 in the corresponding fixture last term. With a tough fixture list in the run-up to Christmas, a win would be gratefully appreciated.

It has been an unedifying campaign so far for the reigning champions with the defeats mounting, and they’ve plummeted down the table. Despite outlaying close to £450 million last summer, the Reds have been found wanting. Florian Wirtz, for example, has yet to score a goal or provide an assist, and Arne Slot’s men have failed to match the high standards they set last season.

Defensively, they have looked susceptible from set-pieces, but in open play, they have been struggling to create chances, as illustrated in their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month. They were also poor in slumping to a 3-0 reverse against Nottingham Forest last weekend, their joint-heaviest in the Premier League era.

However, the Reds have only lost once in their past six league visits to West Ham which bodes well.